


Angel of Winter

by JupiterGoddess



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2019-11-01 08:06:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17863559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JupiterGoddess/pseuds/JupiterGoddess
Summary: Karin had always noticed strange things happening around her. Then, one fateful night, she is attacked by a demon, and nothing is like before anymore. Angel AU ToshiroxKarin





	1. Prologue

Prologue

He glided through the air. Powerful wingbeats propelled him forward, the air rushing in his ears. Beneath him, the lights of a huge city spread out and illuminated the night.

,Stupid humans. By creating their own light, they can't see the beauty of the stars anymore. They're going to forget it. And for all their light, they can't see the shadows anymore.'

But bringing humans back on the right path was not why Toshiro was here. God didn't want slaves, which was why he had left humans their free will once they had gained it.

The white-haired angel scanned the land beneath him carefully.

,Where are you, bastard?'

Bad enough that he, a member of the angelic choir of the Cherubim, the second-most powerful angels, had needed to be sent here. Now that accursed demon had apparently decided it would be fun to play hide and seek. The worst part? Nobody knew what kind of demon it was. Only that it was so powerful that it warranted sending a Cherub to Earth. None of the lower-ranked angels chasing him had ever returned.

And not even Toshiro had found anything yet. He struggled greatly to keep his swearing back. It wasn't appropriate for an angel of his rank.

,What abomination has hell spawned this time?'

He gave another beath with his wings, which were colored in various shades of white and blue.

,Just you wait, I'll get you.'

Toshiro disappeared into the night sky.


	2. Chapter 1

Karin’s foot connected with the white and black ball. It shot through the air – and crashed into the net, missing the goal-keeper’s fingertips by millimeters.  
„Yes!“  
Cheers echoed across the soccer field. The black-haired girl exchanged high-fives with her excited team-mates, jubilant herself. The game was kinda important for her school’s soccer club, and this goal had settled their victory. There were fifteen minutes left to play, and Karin’s team was leading with 6 to 3.  
„Let’s go wrap this up!“, she cheered her team-mates on. A deafening „YEAH!“ was the answer.  
Fifteen minutes later, the game was over and won. Karin let herself fall into the grass, panting. The opposing team had tried its best to turn the tables – to no avail. Neither team had scored another goal, which was just fine for Karin and her team-mates. The end score had remained 6 to 3 for Karakura High and thus a solid win.  
„Great job, Karin!“  
The black-haired girl looked up. A few team-mates stood over her, one of them extending a hand to her.  
She miled and let herself be pulled to her feet.  
„You guys were great too.“  
Everyone returned home to refreshen. After a shower, Karin changed into comfortable clothes. Then she hurried out of the house again, yelling her sister Yuzu and brother Ichigo goodbye. She ran through the streets, eager to join the others. Suddenly, an icy chill and sense of dread washed over her, stopping her in her tracks.  
„What the hell?!“  
She looked around everywhere, but there was nobody and nothing. But Karin could have sworn she had seen blue feathers for a moment.  
,Oh boy, not again.‘  
Karin had had such visions and feelings before. Sometimes, they even krept into her dreams. It was really annoying. And she wisely had kept silent, as not to make a fool of herself in front of others.  
But she certainly was not going to let it ruin this glorious day. She ran on. The team met at their club room at Karakura High and spent the afternoon celebrating their victory. They surely had deserved it; not only had they come far in general over the past two years, but their opponents today had been a strong team, too. One that Karakura High had lost plenty of times before.  
Today had been payback.  
As Karin watched her team-mates partying cheefully, she couldn’t help but feel proud of them. The team had become very dear to her. It was unusual for a girl to join her school’s soccer team, but the guys had accepted Karin wilingly from the start. No taunts. No mockery. Just playful banter. Fort hat she would be always grateful.  
When afternoon began turning into evening, they packed up and left under cheerful goodbyes, headed homewards. It was Saturday, so they could sleep in the next day. But today had been long enough, and everyone was glad to finally get home and get a good, long shower.  
Karin shared shared part of her way with three of the guys. Together, they strolled along the streets of Karakura Town, joking and generally having a good time.  
Eventually, they came to a crossing, where Karin had to turn right, while the others continued on.  
„See ya on Wednesday for training!“, the black-haired girl called to them before running down the street.  
„See ya, Karin!“  
As the young Kurosaki hastened towards her home, her mind already wandered to what she was going to do there. Her mouth began to wate ras she imagined all the delicacies her twin Yuzu would have cooked up. They were twins – but one would never guess it by simply seeing them. Not only did they look differently. While Karin was more of a tomboy, it was Yuzu who had inherited all the female qualities of their late mother. Good looks, a faible for fashion and beautiful things; great cooking skills and overall talent for all things domestic. More importantly, Yuzu seemed to highly enjoy it, too.  
Karin heaved a heavy sigh.  
Sometimes, she wished she was a little more like her twin sister. Boys instantly drifted towards Yuzuu, and Karin could absolutely see why.  
,Sigh… but it would be nice to have a boyfriend.‘  
She herself had never been popular with boys the way her twin sister was. Sure, they accepted her, but non had ever been closer to her than simple buddies. None of them had trying to make advances at her like they did with Yuzu. At first, it hadn’t bothered Karin too much. But after seeing her female friends starting to date boys, however, Karin began to wonder what it would be like to fall in love. She just had not yet met anyone who struck that right chord inside of her. And her self-critisim allowed her to suspect what the problem was.  
,Am I… am I too fierce, too tomboyish for them?‘  
What was more, Karin was unwilling to change so fundamentally for anyone. If her boyfriend couldn’t accept her the way she was, he was probably not the right one after all.  
Karin turned into an empty street close tot he one she lived in. It wasn’t far to her house now.  
That was when it happened.  
She was lost in thought, but when suddenly the streetlights went out, she snapped back to attention.  
„What the…“  
Was it a power outage? But if so, why where the lights in the houses still burning? And why was the air suddenly so heavy, making it so difficult to breathe? A scent rose to her nose. No, not a scent… a stench.  
Then the screetch tore appart the night.  
Karin had never heard such a horrible sound before. It made her freeze in horror. Plus… it had come from right behind her.  
Somehow, she willed her body to move and whirled around.  
Behind her, a large mass of darkness blocked out part of the sky. It had a shape, but more monstrous than anything Karin had ever seen. And it radiated such evil that it robbed her breath and sent chills of utter panic down her spine.  
The thing shrieked again and two glowing red opened in the mass of darkness.  
With a scream, Karin stumbled backwards and landed on her behind. As the monster lifted an arm, she began to crawl as fast as she could.  
„No, no, no!“  
Karin pulled together all her strenght, turned, got to her feet and wanted to run. Except that huge claws closed around her with merciless strenght and lifted her into the air.  
„NOOO!“  
Out of her mind with panic, Karin screamed and thrashed, trying her hardest to get free. To no avail. The claws lifted her higher and higher. The monster’s purpose was crystal clear now.  
With eyes wide in terror, the black-haired girl stared into the vast mouth opening beneath her. Her panic grew so strong that her body just went motionless. Her brain refused to understand what was happening to her.  
,Is… is this? Am I going to die? Eaten by a monster? Yuzu… Ichi-nii… dad…‘  
That was when she saw something so startling, that it made her forget her fear. Something that even made the monster stop mid-motion. Something that was impossible for this time of year.  
A snowflake.  
A single, beautiful white snowflake came gently tumbling down from the sky. Nothing special in itself. Except that the sky had been clear – and that it was the middle of August.  
,What the…‘  
The temperature seemed to suddenly drop several degrees. Her breath escaped her in white clouds. And the clear and fresh scent of snow rose to her nose, driving away the monster’s stench.  
„What the…“  
Several things happened at the same time. The monster screetched deafeningly. The next moment, Karin flew through the air; the thing had tossed her away! In Karin’s mind, she already saw her splattered on the ground, a mass of blood and flesh. But seconds later, there was a flurr of feathers, a strong arm closed around her waist, stopping her fall.  
„Wha… wha…“  
Karin’s mind still tried to process what just had happened. She was obviously still alive, because her heart was racing harder than ever before, thumping painfully against her chest. Then her brain spewed the next logical question.  
How was she still alive?  
Someone or something had attacked the monster and caught her in the air. But how was that possible? Who or what could have had the strenght…  
Karin’s thoughts trailed off. She had noticed blue feathers in the corners of her eyes. Blue… feathers… but that was impossible.  
She looked up. And stared right into an angel’s mesmerizing turquoise eyes, stunning wings in different shades of blue and white around them.


	3. Chapter 2

Toshiro stared up at the demon. It was still screetching in pain. Dark, almost black blood gushed from the wound.  
,Time to end this.‘  
He sent some of his power into his sword, then struck. The shimmering blade formed a trail of ice through the air as he unleashed the energy.  
The demon howled. However, Toshiro’s ice never hit it. With a speed the angel hadn’t expected, the monster lifted its arm. Blood gushed, but the wound was not fatal to the demon. Instead, it gave one last scream, a black portal behind it and it jumped through.  
Just like that, the demon was gone.  
Toshiro sighed in annoyance. Inwardly, he cursed the in a way no servant of the Lord should. But his frustration about this missed chance was just too great. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it now anyways. Besides…  
He let his sword dissolve and glanced at the human in his arms. It was a girl, almost a young woman, with shoulder-long, black hair boudn in a ponytail, and dark eyes.  
In which a fire burned.  
For a moment, Toshiro was perplexed by the aura the girl radiated. Heated, passionate, the exact opposite of himself. A determination not easily deterred. It was an aura unlike any Toshiro had ever seen among mortals.  
But more importantly…  
„So you were able to see everything?“  
Slowly, a dazed expression on her face, the girl nodded. Toshiro’s frown deepened.  
„How very curious“, the blue-winged angel murmured to himself. „Mortals shouldn’t be able to see demons or angels.“  
With a flap of his wings, he landed back on the ground and gently set the girl on her feet. She swayed a little, her legs threatening to give in. A quick grab for her arm prevented her from falling. She still looked flabberghasted.  
„What… how…“  
Toshiro understood her reaction. I was extremely difficult for mortal minds to comprehend the reality of things. Then again, most mortals did not see through the veil that separated the human world from the world of angels and demons. And most humans did not face death so closely at this young an age.  
Ths girl, however…  
With a start, Toshiro noticed that she was on the verge of a panic attack. He quickly sent out calming energy into her body. It took effect instantly. The girl’s breath and heartbeat gradually slowed again.  
„It’s okay“, he reassured her in the most soothing voice he could muster. „You’re safe now.“  
The girl was calmer, but when she glanced up at him, her eyes were still wide.  
„T-those are w-wings“, she stammered. „Y-you’re an a-angel.“  
„Yes. But there is nothing to worry about. Everything is perfectly fine. Just try to remain calm. Breathe.“  
She took a few deep breaths. In a voice already steadier, she asked: „What… what was that monster?“  
„Slowly there, slowly.“ Toshiro caught her eyes with his and tried to give her all the reassurance he was capable of. Right now, he needed her to focus on something simple, basic, in order for her to regain focus. „Let’s not get hasty. What is your name?“  
„Karin… K-Karin… Kurosaki…“  
„You’ll be fine, Karin. Do you hear me?“  
The blue-winged angel had used her name on purpose, in an attempt to give her something to focus on, a sense of normality. He gazed into her eyes as he said it. When she nodded, he could see that she truly was good again.  
,Wait… what am I doing?‘  
That thought hit him like a punch. Why actually was he trying so hard with this girl? Sure, as an angel of the order of Cherubim, it was his duty to aid the humans if possible. But with Karin, it was different. He did not want to help her simply out of a sense of duty. Toshiro had just seen a girl attacked by the demon he had been hunting. But for some reason, he had felt an compelling urge to save her, much stronger than with any of the humans he had saved before.  
,Get a grip on yourself!’, he chided himself. He pushed the matter aside as a minor side effect of returning to the world of humans, and willed his focus back on the matters at hand.  
Karin still stared at him with wide eyes. Her being able to see angels and demons could in fact pose a problem. Especially since it seemed to be an innate power that allowed her to do so, a power that radiated off her like the warmth of a fire.  
And that would undoubtedly attract more demons.  
At least, she had calmed down now. Toshiro couldn’t help but find it remarkeable how well she took the entire situation now. Not every human would be as brave and bounce back from nearly being killed. And when she finally spoke, her words were not what the white-haired angel had expected.  
„Can I touch them?“  
Toshiro was so surprised by that question, that his eyebrows shot upwards. „Come again?“  
„Your wings. Can I touch them?“  
He felt a laugh bubble up in his chest. Were he less stern, he might have even let it out.  
When he had been a young angel, the others had avoided, even feared him at times because of his turquoise eyes, white hair and wings the color of ice. Yet here was this human girl, unafraid to look him into the eyes and even asking to touch his wings. It stirred something in his centuries old soul that made him do something that he had done only twice before.  
He allowed it.  
„You may“, he said and even managed a faint smile.  
Wonder gleamed in her eyes as she gently traced her fingers across the feathers. Angel wings were not too sensitive, though their bearers may choose for one or another reason not to let anyone else touch them, for they were still an intimate part of an angel, part of what made their being. Toshiro was one of those.  
Surprisingly, Toshiro found that he liked the soft touch of her fingers as they explored the feathers.  
,Oh, for heaven’s sake‘, he moaned inwardly. ,What‘ is going on?‘  
Angels and humans weren’t supposed to mingle. He shouldn’t let this girl get to him like this. And yet…  
„My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya“, he finally said. „I am an angel of the order of Cherubim.“  
That seemed to rip Karin out of her reveree. Her dark grey eyes met his.  
„So… angels and demons do really exist.“  
It was a statement, not a question. Yet he nodded. „Yes. I know it’s hard to believe for a mortal. But we do exist.“ A frown curled his eyebrows. „Still, it is odd that you can see me. That you could see that demon. Usually, a veil of magic separates the human world from the supernatural realm. To protect humans, for reality may be too much for some to handle. But for some reason, you can see straight through it. I wonder why…“  
„What does that mean?“  
„I don’t know. Over the millennia, only a handful of people had ever possessed that ability.“ Toshiro sighed. „Normally, I’d take your memory of this incident away. But this goes far beyond that.“  
„What?!“ An expression of shock and indignancy flashed across Karin’s face. „Deleting my memory?! No way I’d allow that!“  
What in the name of everything good was it with this girl? Toshiro hoped for the sake of his dignity that his raised eyebrows didn’t look too ridiculous in that moment. Here was this mortal, with the guts to talk to a Cherub like this!  
„That is not yours to decide“, he brought himself to say. „Our world is hidden fort he safety of you humans. And mankind is not yet ready for the truth.“  
„I…“  
The angel threw her a glance that made her stop her protest. He was starting to get slightly annoyed with her talking back at him. Plus, he was not yet as confused as to take this matter lightly. After all, it was a matter about one simply did not joke around.  
„I… I see“, whas all she got out in the end.  
Toshiro sighed. Glanced up at the sky that had turned dark in the meantime. He frowned angrily, for he could again not see the stars.  
,These stupid humans… this is gonna be such a huge trouble.‘  
But he couldn’t leave this girl on her own. She had seen too much already, an innocent bystander dragged into this mess against her will. And that aura of hers… it was a great spiritual energy, that burned inside her like a strong flame.  
„Listen, you should go home now and get some rest.“ He looked at her. „Tomorrow, we’ll decide on how to proceed. And then I will also answer the countless questions you have.“  
„I… well…“ Karin was clearly looking for arguments. Finding none, she slumped her shoulders in defeat. „Okay.“  
,Aah, finally. Atta girl.‘  
For a moment, Toshiro pondered wether to tell her that this energy of hers was making her a desireable prey for demons. She could brace herself for another attack if she knew. This particular demon would be attracted particularly much. But in the end, he decided against it. By this time tomorrow, he intended to have dealt with the threat. After that, there was going to still be time to decide on what to do with Karin. Besides, if she knew of the danger, she might fall into a panic attack.  
Toshiro accompanied the black-haired girl the short way to her home, for once not flying, but walking beside her. He could sense her fear, her confusion. And despite the millions of questions he felt in her, she walked quietly brooding. It wrestled some respect from the angel.  
Finally, they reached her house. In front of the door, she turned to him. „You promise I’ll see you tomorrow?“  
That question coaxed a faint smile from the blue-winged angel. „I promise.“  
Apparently, Karin saw something in her eyes that made her trust his words, and she nodded. „Then take good care of yourself, Toshiro.“  
„You too, Karin.“  
After she disappeared into the house, Toshiro took off into the air. He didn’t fly far, though – exactly as far as the house’s roof. There he perched like a bird of prey, like one of those old stone gargoyles adorning European castles and churches. There were three people in the house beneath him. Karin herself. A second girl, her twin siser Yuzu. And a man named Isshin, their father.  
Once he sensed that she was lying in her bed, the angel touched her mind gently with a bit of his energy. With that, he sent her straight into a dreamless, relaxing sleep. He knew that otherwise, she might have stayed up for hours, pondering what had happened. However, she was going to need her strenght tomorrow, so she needed to be well rested.  
Toshiro checked that everything in the house below was as it should be. Leaving some of his energy in order to be alerted to any danger approaching, he opened his wings and, with a mighty flap, took off.  
It was time to finally get rid of a certain demon.


	4. Chapter 3

Slowly, Karin resurfaced from her slumber. She felt more relaxed than she had in a long time, and thus, it took her a while to get fully awake.  
Eventually, she willed her eyes to open. The curtains were drawn, but they were thin enough to let a little bit of sunlight through.  
,The sun’s already up?‘  
A glance at her alarm clock showed her that it was half past eight.  
„Already so late?“, she mumbled into the pillow and rubbed her face.  
Then the memories came back and she jolted upright in her bed.  
,What… what the hell happened yesterday?‘ Karin gripped her forehead when a little wave of nausea hit her. ,Was it a dream? Or… was it actually all real?‘  
She thought of that angel with white hair, turquoise eyes and wings in magnificent shades of blue. He looked kinda like an ice statue come to life. Beautiful. Cold.  
It sure felt like a dream to her. But then Karin remembered the icy cold aura radiating off the angel, the cool touch of his hands. And she realised that everything must have been real after all.  
The black-haired Japanese climbed out of bed, pulled apart the curtains and opened the window. As a breeze blew inside, she inhaled deeply. Then she gazed out at the blue sky. Her mind drifted away. But eventually, Karin caught herself looking for a pair of blue wings on the sky. They weren’t there.  
Dream or not, Karin found that she would be very disappointed if Toshiro didn’t show up like promised. She really wanted to see the angel again.  
,So angels and demons really exist…‘  
It sounded so incredible. Yet at the same time, it explained why Karin had always seen and heard stuff ever since she had been little. However, she had also learned really quickly to hide it. Because whenever she didn’t, people had started to avoid her.  
It had been painful.  
With a sigh, Karin turned away from the window and started getting ready for the day. Her head felt like bursting. Perhaps a dose of normality would help her to clear it again.  
Fifteen minutes later, she walked down the stairs, to the lower floor. In the dining room, she found her brother and sister eating breakfast.  
„Hey Yuzu, hey Ichi-nii“, she said as she sat down and helped herself to a bowl of cereals and a glass of milk.  
„Morning, Karin“, her orange-haired brother greeted her.  
„Hey, Karin!“, Yuzu beamed at her twin sister. „Congratulations again on your win yesterday. I wish I could have seen it. Did you at least have a nice party?“  
Karin couldn’t help but smile. Her sister’s bubbly demeanor always lifted her spirits. So when she answered, she had no trouble hiding her confusion and worry about last evening’s events.  
„I had.“ It wasn’t even a lie. „We really had a blast.“  
„I’m glad. You guys really deserved it.“  
After a bite of cereals, Karin asked: „Where’s dad?“  
„Already at work in the clinic“, Ichigo answered with a shrug. „There seems to have been an accident nearby, and all clinics in the area have been asked to help.“  
„I see…“  
Isshin Kurosaki was a sometimes weird man. However, there was no denying that he was hard-working too. That he loved his children. That he did everything for them.  
Karin sighed. „I sure hope he doesn’t over-exert himself.“  
After she helped Yuzu clear the table, she returned to her room. Somehow, she managed to get some learning done for an exam she had the following week. How she managed to keep her thoughts off demons and a certain white-haired angel, she couldn’t tell. After lunch, however, which was another delicacy served by Yuzu, Karin had to get some fresh air. She decided to go for a walk in a nearby, small but pretty park.  
At the edge of a small pond, there stood a bench. Karin sat down on it and gazed at the water. She liked this place; it was one of the few that helped her calm down.  
And boy, did she need it.  
Ever since the demon’s attack last night the world seemed like a dream. In truth, Karin wondered none of the others had noticed anything was bothering her.  
,I guess that means I am a better actress than I thought.‘  
The biggest question on her mind, however, was: How was it supposed to go from here on? The knowledge that demons and angels really existed, only increased her sense of loneliness, of isolation.  
,And I am not even Christian, for crying out loud.‘  
Her world was the world of kami and of yokai. But what had stumbled into her life were angels and demons. Beings of judeo-christian origins.  
,This is so crazy.‘  
As if on cue, she heard a rushing sound, and in the corner of her eye, she saw a blue feather tumbling to the ground. The temperature seemed to instantly drop for at least two degrees.  
Despite herself, her heart gave a little leap.  
„You came back.“  
„As I promised. And I don’t have the habit of breaking my word.“  
Toshiro stood next to her. Strangely enough, none of the other people in the park seemed to notice him. It must be the veil he had mentioned, the one that separated the supernatural world from the human one. Luckily, there was nobody within earshot to find it strange to hear her talking to air.  
„It’s not like that“, she said, unable to keep herself from smiling at his dry comment. She instantly turned serious again, however. „It’s just… I still can’t believe this is all real. At times, it still feels like a dream.“  
A soft rustling came from the stunning wings as the angel shifted and fixed his eyes on two children on the other side of the pond. „That is understandeable.“  
Karin silently contemplated Toshiro from the side. His blue, wide clothes swayed in the wind. Her eyes quickly settled on those wings that seemed all the shades of water and ice, she tried to collect her thoughts.  
From the depht of her soul, a flicker of her old determination began to rise. Together with a tiny spark of annoyance about her having apparently to pry all the information from him. However, it gave her the courage to start asking those million questions buzzing in her head since waking up.  
„So there are angels and demons“, she began. „And you are here to hunt demons, have I gotten that right?“  
Toshiro turned his head and his turquoise eyes bore into hers. An involuntary shudder ran down Karin’s spine. More so than his wings, they gave the impression of ice, causing an actual sense of cold.  
„Yes and no.“ Before Karin could voice a protest about this nothing-saying answer, the angel continued. „It is true, we angels fight demons whenever we meet them. Or rather… purify them.“  
„Okay, now you’ve lost me. Purify?“  
Toshiro shifted again, his wings producing that distinct rustling sound Karin wouldn’t soon forget. He looked up at the sky again.  
„Most demons running wild are lesser ones, tormented human souls fallen into the clutches of evil and by it transformed into these monsters. Those, we do not actually kill. Whenever we cut them down, the soul is released and purified, able to proceed into heaven. Then there are those, however, whose wretchedness turned them into demons and is so big, that they are beyond salvation. Those end up in hell instead.“  
He gave her a brief glance. „Are you following?“  
„Until now, yes“, the black-haired Japanese said slowly. It was still a lot to swallow, but at least it was easy to understand.  
„Good.“ His eyes on the sky again, Toshiro continued. „As for my being here…“ He sighed. „Good grief, I need to get into more detail than I wanted.“ A pause. „You need to know that there’s a hierarchy among angels. There are nine ranks, you could say, called Choirs. I am a member of the eight choir, the Cherubim.“ He looked at Karin again. „By any rights, I shouldn’t be here. Usually, the demons dwelling on Earth are weak enough so the lower ranks can handle them.“  
„But now there has appeared a demon so strong that a Cherubim was required to death with it“, Karin said into the tiny pause. To her, it was the only logical explanation.  
Toshiro lifted an eyebrow, looking almost… impressed. Something that irked Karin. Apparently, the angel underestimated her. And she did not like being underestimated. By nobody.  
„That is correct. And the fact that it manages to still elude even me proves how dangerous it is.“ His eyes suddenly turned focused, his gaze seeming to pierce straight into her soul. „Which brings me to our current problem.“  
„P-problem?“ Karin did not like the sound of that at all.  
The white-haired angel opened and closed his wings in an annoyed gesture, creating a small gust of wind.  
„I intended to slay the demon last night, but I did not manage to find it again. In fact, it was lucky for you that in its hunger for souls it got careless for a moment, and I was close enough to make it in time.“  
„Oh…“ Karin swallowed. Her still struggling mind tried to comprehend how close she had been to death. It threatened to make her loose the feeble grip on reality she had managed to regain. Karin wasn’t a squeamish girl. But all this… it was a damn lot to digest.  
But then she saw his eyes. Something in them… touched her. As if there was a great loneliness buried beneath a mount of ice. And it woke the sudden urge in her to help him.  
Stupid idea? Most likely. But Karin was the kind of person who stuck to her decision once she made up her mind about something.  
„Look“, she said and put on the most determined face she could muster. „I am just a human. But I want to help you in any way I can.“  
At those words, Toshiro looked downright baffled. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Karin might have laughed at seeing that expression on the usually stern face.  
He sighed. „I do appreciate your selfless offer. However, as you stated, you’re just a human. I don’t mean to be offensive, but it’s true. Against a demon, you wouldn’t stand the slightest of chances. I don’t want to get you into any danger. You have to stay out of this.“  
„But there has to be something I can do!“  
„There isn’t.“  
Something about that answer ticked Karin off. There was it again, that looking down on her, the underestimating her.  
„Look“, she said angrily. She even had to supress the urge to jump up and yell at him – that, the few visitors to the park would notice. „I am already up to my head in this mess .I really do appreciate the noble thought that you want to protect me. But I have always followed my own path, and I certainly am not going to stop doing that right now.“  
„You don’t know…“  
„Oh, I think I do know!“ Karin’s voice, despite her attempts, grew louder. „Demons are dangerous! But I never said I want to fight them! Though I would like to do that. They attacked me, after all. Again, I’m already dragged into this… mess, as you put it. So let me at least assist you in any way I can.“  
A cold flame seemed to burn in Toshiro’s eyes, searing right into her, making her flinch. The angel opened his mouth to say something.  
Only that he didn’t get to it anymore.  
An alarming tingle in her neck made Karin’s gaze shoot upwards. She barely noticed that Toshiro did the same thing. And in the same moment she yelled: „ABOVE!“, his sword appeared in a flash of metal.


	5. Chapter 4

Toshiro moved at the lightning speed that came natural to most angels. He too had noticed the dark aura of the demon moving through the in-between.  
Metal flashed in the sunlight.  
Of course this lowly demon had stood no chance against a member of the choir of Cherubim. One swift strike and a jump supported by a flap of wings was all it took for Toshiro to cut the leaping demon in half. It had attempted a sneack attack, approaching them in the in-between, then jump at his unsupsecting prey from above.   
Except it had underestimated said prey.  
Toshiro looked one more second at the glittering dust into which the demon had dissolved. This soul was free now and would find rest in Heaven. Then the angel landed back on the ground and turned towards Karin.  
She stared at him with wide eyes, but more in awe than in fear.  
„That… was super fast“, she brought out in a whisper.  
There was too much wishing to possess such speed as well in her voice for Toshiro’s liking. But he decided to put his anger aside for the moment. Something more important had just come up.  
„You felt that demon, didn’t you.“  
It was a question and a statement at the same time. The black-haired human girl nodded.  
„I guess I did.“ Her expression was pensieve, her eyes clearly on the past. „You know… I have always seen and heard weird stuff since I can remember. I guess I know now why.“  
„What did you just say?“, Toshiro asked in alarm.  
Karin raised her eyebrows. „I said that I have always seen and heard weird stuff since I can remember.“  
„Is that so…“  
Toshiro studied Karin with new interest – and worry.  
This seemed big. Bigger than he had anticipated. As things looked right now, she had some innate powers, one of them being the ability to sense the presence of demons. Not even him, an ancient and mighty being, had encountered something of the kind ever before.  
Suddenly, Karin’s eyes lit up and a grin appeared on her face. „Hey, if I can sense demons, can’t I help you find the one you’re after?“  
Toshiro didn’t reply immediately. He tried to figure out how to proceed best. He still didn’t want Karin to get near that demon again. Something he really shouldn’t be feeling. And the fact that she was capable of sensing the presence of demons was not to belittled, either. In fact, it could be of utmost importance. And who knew what other powers lay dormant in this mortal.  
A thought occured to him and he asked her: „Can you sense me too?“  
„Yes.“ Karin closed her eyes for a moment before looking at him again. „I feel a touch of cold. A whiff of winter and snow. I can even smell it in the air.“  
„How interesting… so you can sense angels as well as demons. In fact, I do hold dominion over snow, ice and winter.“  
Toshiro studied the mortal more closely this time. This revelation changed everything. She was probably right: Without anyone’s doing, she was ineed in this far too deep. Not that it would change the fact that he would let her near any demon.  
„Is… is it that rare an ability?“  
Karin tried her best to hide it, but the angel could tell by the question that she was uncomfortable with the situation. He could sense it, too.  
„Actually, it’s the first time I have encountered this“, he said, a little placated. „There have been other mortals with powers, but none with such like yours. No need to worry, though. We’ll do something about it. If whatever powers are hidden inside of you remain uncontrolled, it won’t bode well for you. You’ll need to be taught how to handle it.“  
Karin swallowed, but then glared at him defiantly. „Are you trying to scare me? If you intend to keep me from trying to help you, I inform you that it won’t work. Besides, you haven’t answered my question yet.“  
Instantly, the placating feeling was gone. So this little girl was choosing the obnoxious way?  
„I did not intend anything of the sort“, Toshiro said, letting ice stream into his voice. He noticed her shudder and was satisfied. „And whatever you are going to say, I will not let you fight.“ A pause. „However, there might be a way you could help me in a different way. It’s not entirely without risk, but…“  
Her eyes lit up. „Tell me what I can do!“  
„The demon I told you about“, the blue-winged angel said, „is good at hiding its presence, if you remember.“  
She nodded. „Yeah…“  
„What I want you to do is trying to locate it. Perhaps you can succeed where so many angels have failed. After all, the ways of the Lord are mysterious. But I have to warn you. There is a chance that it will attract unwanted attention.“  
„I'll do it“, Karin explained without the slightest hesitation and too much eagerness for his liking. Toshiro didn't know wether to admire her bravery or curse her foolishness.  
Without saying another word, she closed her eyes.  
As he watched her, Toshiro could sense tension building inside him. Something he usually wasn't prone to, but given the situation, he was not surprised. After all, he had hunted that demon for a while now, and this could be the chance to finally get rid of it. The sooner the better, for it seemed unusually dangerous and mustn't be allowed to roam the world for much longer.  
Then there was also the matter of Karin's power.  
As if on cue, Karin opened her eyes. Toshiro felt an unexpected and unfamiliar rush of disappointment when she shook her head and said: „I do feel some evil presences around. But the one that attacked me yesterday is nowhere.“  
„Tch…“ Toshiro swore inwardly. „This demon is unusually adept at hiding its presence.“  
„Or maybe it’s just out of range?“, Karin suggested.   
The blue-winged angel raised an eyebrow in surprise. „You mean like cell phones in an area with no connection?“  
„Yeah, yeah!“ Karin nodded excitedly. „I don’t know everything about this power. But it feels to me like I can sense presences only over a certain area, and not throughout the entire city.“  
„I see…“  
Toshiro couldn’t help but feel impressed at how quickly she was learning how her powers worked. And she seemed quick-witted, too, coming up with that idea of her powers functioning similar to cell phones. Then a gain, he himself never used human technology.  
A plan began to form in his mind immediately. It wasn't difficult, really.  
„Do you have anything planned for this afternoon?“  
„Huh? No, why?“  
The angel stared into her eyes. „Because we’re going for a little flight.“  
Fifteen minutes later, they were gliding through the air above the skyscrapers and other buildings of Karakura Town. To Toshiro’s surprise, she had been much less afraid of flying than he had expected. In his experience, wingless beings were usually afraid of great altitudes. But not Karin. Her eyes had lit up when he had told her of his plan to fly over the city and try to find the demon that way.  
At first, she had clung to him rather tightly. Which was only natural. Some inborn instinct not even this brave mortal could not overcome. But the longer they flew, the more he could feel her relax.   
,She really is not afraid.’  
After allowing himself to marvel at this mortal’s courage, he focused on flying and his surroundings again. Just like Karin, he stretched out his senses and tried to pick up on the energy of the demon he was hunting.  
At first, it looked like another fruitless endeavor. For at least two hours, they searched the city without finding a trace of the monster.  
„Either this beast is uniquely good at hiding itself“, Toshiro said during a break on a rooftopl, „or it’s incredibly crafty and keeps on the move, playing cat and mouse with us.“  
„Hm…“ Karin stared down on the vast expanse of buildings, taking a sip of water from the bottle she had fetched at her home. She looked lost in thought.  
Toshiro took neither drink nor food. Angels had other sustenance than humans, and needed less of it due to their inborn powers. He was still stretching out his senses, trying to pick up the faintest of flickers of the demon’s engery. The longer this demon was on the loose, the more worried he got. Who knew how many souls it had already devoured. And according to reports, angels had fallen victim to is as well. Angels Toshiro had known to be prodigious warriors despite heir sometimes low rank.  
,Sneaky bastard’, he couldn’t help but think. And flinched a little. That we was starting to swear so vulgarly again, unbecoming of an angel and Cherubim, proved that this entire situation got to him more than he liked.  
By now, he sun had already started to climb down towards the western horizon. The shadows grew longer ever so slightly. Toshiro’s eyes narrowed. This wasn’t good. While night and darkness themselves were not evil, they suffered the same fate as a tool or a weapon. Demons prefered to use them to hide, sneak about and draw power. The angel had wanted to end the search and have Karin safely at home by nightfall. Alas, it was apparently not supposed to be.  
As if reading his mind, the mortal girl glanced at her watch and took out her cell phone and said: „I better call home and tell Yuzu I won’t make it to dinner. She’ll put something aside for me to eat later.“  
„That’s a good idea.“  
In silence, Toshiro watched and listened as Karin made the call. In her voice, he heard the deep affection she had for her younger sister. Something told he she would fight like a tigress to protect Yuzu. Probably would do it for every of her loved ones, especially her family.  
,What for heaven’s sake am I going to do with her?’, he asked himself for the umpteenth time.   
Fact was, neither of them could walk away after this was over as if nothing had ever happened. And whiping Karin’s memory of the knowledge about angels and demons was no option either. For one, she had made it clear she wouldn’t let that happen without a fight. Also, due to those powers of hers, it seemed that her fate was interwoven with the supernatural world. Even if Toshiro whiped her memories, one day, those powers would break free and inavoidably drag her into it again.   
And lastly… Toshiro found to his astonishment that he did not want to erase her memories in the first place.  
,Oh, curse it!’  
Of course, there had been humans in the past towards which the blue-winged angel had developed a certain fondness. But never this deep. He really, REALLY should not be feeling that way. In the past, he had had no trouble erasing a human’s memory. So why was he so uneasy when thinking about erasing this particular human’s memories?  
But he would have to take time to sort it out later. For now, there were much more pressing matters at hand. Also, his thoughts were interrupted by Karin finishing her phone call.  
„She’ll put something aside for me. We won’t have to worry about the time I return home now.“  
Toshiro nodded.  
„Good.“ A pause, in which they both stared at the darkening sky. „Well, I guess it is time for you to meet those who assist me. They should be reporting in any moment now anyways.“  
„Assistants? Are they angels like you?“  
The question was answered when a group of ten angels appeared kneeling behind Toshiro.


	6. Chapter 5

Karin had to supress a yelp. She had felt faint energies, but the suddenness with which the angels appeared still took her by surprise. Apparently, her newly awakened power was not refined enough yet. And they must have been supres-sing their energies, or Karin could have tracked them more clearly.  
They all radiated great power too, and the presence of so many angels made Ka-rin feel slightly queezy inside.  
„Sir, reporting in“, said a female angel who seemed to be the leader of the group. She had beautiful long and wavy red hair, with wings matching the color. As did the clothes, in vibrant shades of red and orange. The angel’s entire appearance gave Karin the impression of a flame or a fire. The exact opposite of Mr. Iceberg.  
„What do you have?“, Toshiro asked, short, precise, efficient.  
As Karin said: Mr. Iceberg. The girl decided it would be her nickname for Toshiro from now on.  
The redhaired angel shook her head. „Nothing, I’m afraid. Even though we sear-ched the entire city for two days. The only thing we found were a couple of minor demons, which were dealt with swiftly.“  
Toshiro sighed. Did Karin hear annoyance in that sound?  
„As I feared. I’m beginning to understand why they deemed it necessary to send a Cherubim to deal with this. If hell spawns a new breed of demons that are all this dangerous…“  
„Yes.“ The female angel’s eyes fell on Karin, and an expression of curiosity flashed across her face. „A mortal? What is she doing here?“  
Anger promptly flared up in Karin. The words had sounded so astounded that they felt rather belittling. But she wouldn’t get down-talked by nothing and by nobody, not even an angel! She would proove them her worth sooner or later. If she hadn’t picked up on the sincere curiosity behind the question, she might have responded in a non-flattering way.  
Luckily, Toshiro kept anything bad from happening.  
„Her name is Karin“, he explained, as calm and cool as ice. „She was attacked by the demon we’re hunting, and I managed to save her just in time. Unfor-tunately, the demon got away in the process.“  
„Wait…“ The red-winged angel’s eyes widened. „Does that mean she can see us?“  
Did Karin see a faint smile tug at Toshiro’s lips? No, she must’ve imagined it. The white-haired angel had never once given the impression of being the smiley type once since she met him.  
„Yes. And there’s more. She can sense he presence of demons as well as of us angels.“  
A gasp went through the group of angels. If Karin had needed more proof of how special her ability apparently was, this reaction was it.  
„Everyone, this is Karin Kurosaki. Karin, this is a group of elite warrior angels under my direct command. The red-winged one is my second-in-command, Ran-giku Matsumoto, who belongs to the choir of Dominions. The other are among the strongest angels of the choir of Powers.“  
Twenty eyes of incredibly powerful beeings suddenly settling on her with undi-minished focus made Karin swallow and her pulse quicken. With her ability, it felt to her as if being surrounded by ten blazing fires.  
But it also stirred her stubborn side again, and she tried to look as defiant as she could.  
A smile flickered across Rangiku’s face. To Karin’s surprise, the red-winged an-gel did not react to the glare she received. Instead, her expression turned grim again as adressed Toshiro.  
„Sir, I take it you did not find the demon despite her ability?“, she asked, her soldier-like efficiency in stark contrast with her feminine looks.  
„No, unfortunately we did not.“  
The angels, displaying stoic, calm faces until now, exchanged worried looks.  
Karin remembered the terrible, crushing power she had sensed the previous night, when that demon had attacked her. She wondered wether she had truly grasped the true power and danger of the monster, if it coaxed such a reaction from a group of freaking angels.  
„What do we do now, sir?“, Rankigu asked.  
„Our objective has not changed. We need to find that demon.“ Toshiro gave a short flick with his wings, which Karin realised must be a sign of his anno-yance. „And as things stand, we seem to be forced to proceed the way we have been doing until now. Search, until one of us finds it by chance.“  
That prospect hung like a heavy blanket over the group. It was clear that all the angels wanted to end the matter as quickly as possible.  
Suddenly, there was a tingle in Karin’s neck. Her head shot upwards. She knew that feeling!  
„Hey… I just sensed it!“  
Eleven sets of eyes turned to her in the fraction of a second.  
„Let’s go.“  
More, Toshiro needn’t say. Moments later, Karin sped through the air in his arms, the other ten angels right on their heels.  
The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes against the wind. She stared ahead, focusing on that energy and prayed she wasn’t going to loose it.  
„There!“  
She pointed, and Toshiro, with an imperceptible movement of his wings, banked slightly to the right.  
,Come on, come on!’  
For a moment, Karin was surprised at her own, sudden flare of anger, almost hatred towards the demon. She wanted to see it dead, for, after all, it had almost killed her. But then she recalled how dangerous it was, and that attacking in blind anger would spell certain death.  
In that moment, the energy vanished.  
„Damn it!“, she exclaimed in frustration. No way this just happened!  
At that, the angels halted, keeping themselves aloft on the spot with strong wingbeats.  
„It vanished“, Toshiro stated matter-of-factly.  
„Yes. I’m sorry.“  
„No need to apologise. It’s no your fault.“ Toshiro's eyes met hers. „Where did you sense it last? We might still find some clues.“  
„Just a little in that direction. Down there.“  
The angels followed Karin’s directions. A minute later, as they were already descending, there came a scream from Rangiku.  
„Oh no!“  
The red-haired angel closed her wings almost completely and went into a head-dive, followed by the rest of the group. Toshiro, with Karin in his arms, descen-ded more slowly, for which she was deeply grateful. Seeing the speed with which the others had hurtled towards the ground gave her a queezy feeling in her stomach.  
But what had alarmed them so? Apparently, Rangiku had seen something, which led to the conclusion that angels had incredibly sharp eyes. Karin herself had seen nothing.  
„What happened?“, she asked the white-haired angel carrying her.  
„You’ll see in a moment.“  
Karin held back an annoyed reply. The more she talked to him, the more she began to understand that talking sparingly was just his characteristic. And whi-le she did not like it, she tried to accept it. After all, if she wanted others to ac-cept her the way she was, she needed to do the same with others.  
,And who am I to presume to understand an angel?’  
Her thoughts were distracted when something red caught her eyes. They were low enough now that Karin could recognise what lay below.  
The angels under Toshiro’s command stood in a circle around something shining red in the fading evening light.  
A bad feeling settled over Karin. „Oh no… is that…“  
Wordlessly, Toshiro landed on the concrete of a small parking lot in one of Kara-kura Town’s outer neighbourhoods. After he put her down, Karin squeezed between two angels and stared at the sight in front of her.  
The… thing was barely recognisable as what it once had been. Now it was a messy heap of blood, cloth and broken, light-brown feathers. The latter were the only thing indicating what was lying there.  
The remaines of a brutally butchered angel.  
Something about the sight shook Karin more deeply than anything before. All the angels she had met until now were elegant, ethereal beings radiating pure power. One of these wonderful beings being reduced to what lay in front of her felt so wrong, so… sacrilegous. She had never used that word before, but right now, it seemed fitting for the occasion.  
Grim silence filled the air as two of the angels stepped aside to let Toshiro pass. The blue-winged Cherubim crouched down and picked up one of the feathers.  
„I knew this one He was a member of the Principalities.“ He stood and gazed every one into the eyes. „We need to find that demon. Quickly. Time is running out.“  
Ten angels nodded in response, grim determination on their faces.  
It took Karin a moment to understand what she had seen in those turquoise orbs that were Toshiro’s eyes. They had sent a cold through her that made her shiver even to her core. His calmness was filled with ice. But Karin wondered if that calmness was much, much worse than any outburst of rage Toshiro could have had. Perhaps, ice was not the right word to describe what she had seen. Rather, it was like… like a blue, coldly burning fire that would turn into a roa-ring inferno once let loose.  
Anger, sharper than any blade.  
Karin shuddered, glad she was not the target of that deadly ire. If anyone else but a demon had been at its other end, she might have actually pitied whoever it was.  
The other angels’ expressions weren’t much less angry. If it were possible for heavenly beings to harbour such feelings, Karin would have said they were out for blood. For vengeance. It was as if the death of this particular angel had tur-ned a switch inside all of them.  
Another flash of energy made her head whip around.  
„I sense it again!“  
Toshiro stood. Without any words, he took Karin into his strong arms, and the angels took off. After about a minute flying into the direction she had indicated, he narrowed his eyes. Calling over one of the angels, he said: „I have a bad feel-ing about this. Go and fetch the reinforcements we have precautiously waiting.“  
The angel nodded, then dissolved into golden light.  
„Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you“, Karin said to Toshiro, reminded by the sight, „can you angels, like, teleport?“  
Concentrating on flying as fast as possible, the blue-winged Cherubim only threw her a quick glance.  
„Kind of“, he said shortly. „I’ll tell you, but not now.“  
Karin did not argue with that. She knew Toshiro was going to keep his word; he had proven he always did. And she was fully aware that vanquishing that dan-gerous demon was top priority now.  
„Huh?!“  
As if the monster had sensed her thoughts directed at it, its energy vanished once more, only to reappear a mile or so away. Then it vanished again. Re-appeared. Vanished. Reappeared. Vanished.  
„What’s wrong?“, Toshiro asked in an alarmed tone. He must have sensed some-thing was troubling her. When Karin told him, he growled: „It’s toying with us.“  
As it stood, however, they had no choice but to follow the demon’s trail.  
It kept jumping like that for about half an hour. The sunlight had faded comple-tely, and only the city lights kept illuminating the sky, allowing Karin to see enough. Three minutes had passed since the demon’s last change of location, and Karin was concentrating on its new hiding place. Suddenly, the sense that something was off washed over her. It took her a moment to realise what it was.  
„The demon hasn’t jumped anymore!“, she blurted out as it struck her. „It’s remaining in place! We’re almost there!“  
Toshiro's eyes narrowed. „Down. Now.“  
The angels obeyed. The command came so surprising, that Karin’s reaction came several seconds late.  
„We’re landing? Why? We’re still a bit away from the place.“  
With a flap of wintery wings, Toshiro did one of those highly elegant landings of his. He may be an ice statue, but an ice statue with a lot of beauty and grace. Something Karin had been able to observe in the brief time they’d kown each other.  
Now the ice staute turned its turquoise eyes on her. „You wait here until we ha-ve dealt with the demon“, he said in that commanding tone of his.  
„Wait, what?“ That took Karin aback. „You’re leaving me behind?!“  
„It’s too dangerous“, Toshiro said, some of that sharpness kreeping into his voice. „We’ve talked about this already.“  
„But what if it changes location again?! What if I possess powers that could help you?!“  
„No, Karin.“  
„I promise I’ll keep at a safe distance. I told you I didn’t intend to fight any de-mons, and I meant it.“  
„No.“  
This time, his voice was razor sharp. It made the black-haired girl flinch. Never once had he talked to her in that tone. It made Karin realise that arguing was pointless, and thus managed to make her stay silent; her, who was he personifi-cation of stubborn and hot-headed.  
„Is there… really nothing I can do?“, she finally asked weakly.  
Toshiro shook his head. „We know too little about your powers. It’s safer for you to stay here.“  
„But…“  
The white-haired angel gave a decisive flap with his wings, and joined the other angels, who had remained airborne.  
„Toshiro!“, Karin yelled after him, disbelieving her eyes. „You can’t just leave me here all alone! Hey, ice statue!“  
There came no reply as the angels disappeared into the night.


	7. Chapter 6

Karin’s yells echoed in Toshiro’s ears. He clenched his teeth and willed his wings to beat even faster.  
He hadn’ liked doing that at all. In all honesty, he wanted to wrap his wings around her and whisk her to a place where no harm could befall her. However, given the circumstances, it was better for her to not even get near that beast.  
For a moment, he had considered to have one of his group’s remaining nine an-gels to stay with her and protect her in case of an attack. But Toshiro had a fee-ling he was going to need every single warrior he could get. And at least he could stretch out his senses and keep track of her that way.  
Even more, he too could sense the demon now. His senses were sharper than the other angels’, but they should sense it any moment now as well.  
The monster did not move an inch from its current position. Toshiro frowned. He knew it to be intelligent enough not to let itself get caught without reason.  
,Be on highest alert’, he told the other angels telepathically. ,I don’t like this at all. It reeks of a trap.’  
Agreeing thoughts came from the others.  
,Down there!’  
Toshiro closed his wings almost entirely and dove. The other angels followed him.  
They landed and scanned the surroundings. It was a typical, big city square, one of those where no traffic was allowed. The hour was late, but Karakura Town was one of those large cities that never truly slept. A few mortals were still up and about, alone and in pairs. They did not see the group of ten angels landing in the middle of the plaza; the magical veil prevented that.   
However, there was no trace of the demon.  
It was here. Toshiro could sense its detestable presence clearly. And since an-gels were magical beings themselves, the veil couldn’t hide it from them either.   
,Camouflage’, Rangiku’s voice rang in his head, voicing what he was suspecting.  
,A very good camouflage’, he agreed. Which was reason to worry. Usually, de-mons did not possess that ability. Especially not the low-ranked ones. Even among angels, that ability was not common and usually belonged to members of one of the three highest choirs.  
However, it couldn’t be helped.  
„Come on out, you monster!“, Toshiro yelled into the air, a challenge. He laid all the power he could into his voice. „We know you’re here!“  
For a moment, there was silence. Then, a laughter rang through the night that dripped with malice.  
„Oh my, bravo, little angels. You found me.“  
It was a rough, distorted deep voice that, just like the laughter, sent chills of disgust down Toshiro’s spine. Before he or one of the others could even react, the demon materialised in a split second in front of them.  
„T-that thing can talk!“, one of the angels behind Toshiro exclaimed in shock.  
The blue-winged angel didn’t hold that reaction against him. Usually, demons couldn’t talk. Or if they could, not this fluently. The only ones who were capable of proper speech were the most high-ranked and powerful ones. And fallen an-gels, of course.   
On the other hand, now that Toshiro got a good look at it, this particular demon did not look at all like the rest.   
Basically all of the lower demons moved on four legs. Their hind legs were for-med in a way, however, that they could stand only on them if they so wanted. On their heads, they wore white masks with all sorts of appendages. This parti-cular demon, however, had a much more human shape. Distorted, yes. But clearly humanoid. Its legs were shaped more like an animal’s, and long claws adorned fingers and toes. Its mask was black instead of white, and adorned with two long, pointy horns. From beneath the mask, long, pale hair potruded.  
And it was huge. Monstrously huge.  
Toshiro had seen its like only rarely before. On those occasions, when he had battled princes of hell and those ranked close beneath them.  
,What is this thing? Wait… no way… could this be…’  
He did not finish the thought. The idea that this could actually be a new prince of hell, one that might even be stronger than the others, was too terrible. Still he sent another telepathic message to his group.  
,Guard up! This guy could be way more dangerous than we anticipated!’  
The demon laughed again, mockingly.  
„I can hear your questions and your worries as if you were speaking them aloud. Indeed, what am I? A new leader in the ranks of hell’´army? Or only the right-hand man of one of the princes?“ He made a shrugging gesture, before his face contorted into a vile, gleeful grin. „ I won’t tell you, winged bastard! I’m sorry, but you’ll have to keep wondering about it for the short rest of your pitiful lives!“  
Toshiro didn’t reply. That was a taunt he wouldn’t fall for. The demon would ha-ve to try harder. And, he decided, it didn not matter how strong the monster was, or what rank it held. He was a member of the Cherubim. And no matter what, he would stop it. There were also the reinforcements that were on their way. He would only have to keep the demon at bay until they arrived.  
The white-haired angel summoned his sword Hyorinmaru to his hand. Slowly, he walked towards the monster.  
„This ends now, fiend.“  
„Uuuh, I’m shivering in fear.“  
The words were oozing with mockery and bile. Toshiro narrowed his eyes. This demon clearly loved to taunt its opponents, obviously in an attempt to coax them into rash and thoughtless action. Yet, even with its apparent power, there was something odd about its confidence. Facing ten angels should give him trouble, no matter how strong he was. And Toshiro’s fighters were among the finest.  
Ah, but of course.  
,Brace yourselves!’, he ordered his troop. ,Looks like the trap is going to close!’  
„But I guess I need to thank you“, the demon continued his previous sentence. „For bringing me yourselves on a silver platter as a little snack.“ A pause. „Whatever gave you the idea I was alone?“  
And the air around them erupted with the flaring of countless evil energies. The night sky seemed to become alive as a seemingly endless number of demons ma-terialized at the same time.  
„What?!“  
There were probably hundreds of demons hovering in the air and on the rooftops above and around them. There just seemed to be no end to them.  
A shiver of dread ran down Toshiro’s spine.  
He and the group of angels under his command were all powerful warriors in their own rights. However, in such numbers, even the lowliest demons became dangerous to a Cherubim like him. And not only that… If these demons decided to wreak havoc among the mortals, the bloodbath would be horrible. They were simply way to few to protect anyone.  
,How did he manage to rally so many demons?’, he heard Rangiku’s telepathic voice.  
How indeed. Demons usually did not form groups. Their egoistical, greedy and overall vile nature prevented them from working together over an extended amount of time, which was a good thing. Sooner or later, fights would always break out between the demons in a group.  
Until now.  
Somehow, the demon they had been hunting had managed to assemble this as-tounding number of demons, and somehow was actually keeping them in check. There was no fighting breaking out among them.  
That humanoid demons could prove even more dangerous than his camouflaging abilty, the sensation of his energy and his ability of speech already suggested. Not only had he gathered this many demons and was keeping them in like, he had also somehow managed to conceal their presences as well. Otherwise, the angels would have sensed them early and never fallen for this trap.  
,What in the name of the Lord are we dealing with here?’, one of Toshiro’s warri-ors asked.  
An important question, but one that would have to wait a little. Right now, they had to deal with this great threat. Even though Toshiro would have wished for information. It would help in the coming fight. Alas, they knew nothing about their enemy.  
,We need to stop this at all costs’, Toshiro told the other angels. ,Keep fighting. Hold out until reinforcements arrive.’  
Affirmative thoughts.  
„Enough“, the demon growled, leaping into the air and hovering. „Our order is to remove you pests out of our way.“  
„Order?“ Toshiro grabbed at the chance. „Order from whom?“  
„Hah, nice try. You have to do better than that if you hope to gain any informati-on from me.“ The demon gave that horrid laugh. „I thought you Cherubs are smarter than that. Oh well. Now, let’s have some angel for dinner, boys!“  
This time, Toshiro didn’t even need give telepathic command. With their swords already drawn, the angels spread their wings, unleashed their energies and clo-aked themselves in their glowing, ethereal forms. Then the angels rose to meet the onslaught of demons.  
When they met, the clash of their energies caused a massive explosion. One that was even felt in the mortal world. The concrete cracked from the force of the blast The humans on the plaza started screaming and running. A couple of them were knocked to the ground by the explosion, but luckily, none seemed to be badly injured.  
Mayhem broke out.  
The good part was, that most of the demons truly were weak. Cutting them down required almost no energy. One single blow was enough.  
The bad part: Who knew how long this would last? For each demon they cut down, two more seemed to instantly materialise. If it went on long enough, the angels’ energy might start running out.  
They had to eliminate the demons as quickly as possible, the white-haired angel realised.  
Cloaked in blueish-white energy, Toshiro danced through the demons, his blade flashing again and again. He moved so fast that he seemed to be nothing more than a flash of blue light. Occasionally, he swung his sword and released mighty waves of ice, taking out dozens of demons at a time.   
There was nothing but him and the monsters. However, as long as they ignored the fleeing mortals, that was just as well to him.  
For how long they had been fighting, Toshiro couldn’t tell. He thought he noticed the numbers of the demons begin to decline slowly, but gradually. However, suddenly, a cry of pain caught his attention. He struck down his current oppo-nent and looked around. One of the other angels had been hit by a demon’s claw, which had left a nasty wound in the upper arm. Red blood dripped to the ground below. The angel’s aura of energy had disappeared.  
In the blink of an eye, Toshiro was in front of him and had cut down a demon which had wanted to take advantage of the injured angel’s momentary weakness.  
,Thank you, Lord Toshiro. And my apologies for my lack of attention. They kept coming and coming.’  
,I know. Just keep as focused as possible.’  
In that moment, an energy flared behind Toshiro, where the other angel was. An energy he knew.  
,Oh no!’  
He whirled around with the superhuman speed he possessed. But it wasn’t fast enough. Toshiro’s eyes fell on the large figure looming over him, then on the other angel – hanging limp on a huge, pointy claw.  
Already gone.  
„Well now, little angel“, the demon cackled. „What are you going to do?“  
It was, of course, a rhetorical question. A second later, the dead angel’s body flew through the air. And in the corner of his eyes, Toshiro saw another one falling.  
Then, a woman’s voice screamed.  
In horror, Toshiro saw blood gush and Rangiku falling backwards. Rangiku, his sometimes silly, but always faithful lieutenant. He hid it beneath a shell of ice, but Toshiro did care about those under his command. About all of them.  
His fury blazed alive like a coldly burning, blue flame. Silent, calm, yet deadly.  
Without a sound, Toshiro charged at the demon. The monster laughed and dodged; however, this time not without getting hit. Its right horn sailed in an arch through the air and disappeared in the night.  
„Bastard! What have you done?! My horn! My beautiful horn!“  
To Toshiro’s dismay, the loss of its horn seemed more to anger the demon than to actually do damage. And unfortunately, none of his subequent attacks hit. The demon was incredibly fast. Again the worrying question rose to his mind: What infinitely dangerous abomination had hell spit out now? Were there other demons as powerful as this one? He prayed to the Lord that it was not so. Be-cause if it were, the situation would have been a huge lot worse than they had originally assumed.  
,Curses. Where are those reinforcements I’ve sent for?’  
Luckily, Toshiro himself moved with all his speed, so the demon in turn did not land any blows on him. They descended into a whirlwind of steel and claws.  
Until a voice, a terribly familiar voice, called his name.


	8. Chapter 7

Karin ran through the streets of Karakura Town, directing every curse in her repertoire at a certain blue-winged, white-haired angel.  
„Damn that Toshiro! Leaving me behind like that! I can’t believe the nerve!“  
She ignored the looks people gave her as she ran by, mumbling to herself.  
Pershaps… perhaps she might have done what Toshiro had told her to do. But something that went beyond her usual, natural inclination to help, urged her on with every fibre of her being. If she had to put it into words, she would have described it as something buried deep within her whispered to her that something bad was going to happen and that she needed to get to Toshiro’s side.  
Suddenly, an enormous pressure made Karin stumble and skid to a halt. When she looked up, she saw to her horror that the sky had turned alive. It was filled with demons, so many in fact that they blocked out all the stars.  
She froze. A shiver of terror unlike any before ran down her spine.  
„Oh my god…“  
Karin couldn’t believe the numbers. There were so many of them. Countless. A mass stretching as far as the eye could see. Karin wondered with worry wether that small group of angels could handle them. And unless those reinforcements Toshiro had sent one of his angels to fetch were similar in numbers, she did not want to imagine what was going to happen. If these beasts were to decide to feed on people…  
She pushed away that image very quickly. It was too horrible.  
That was when she heard an explosion a few streets on. From where Toshiro and the other angels were – and where that terrible presence of the demon they had been hunting loomed.  
,Toshiro!’  
She broke into a sprint. As a soccer player, she was decently fast. A minute or so later, people came running towards her, screaming. Behind them, Karin could see a cloud of dust billowing into the night.  
,What the hell is going on there?’  
She ran on, but with a growing sense of dread. Yes, she had sensed how powerful angels and demons could be. But seeing that destructive power in action was a whole different thing.  
Finally, Karin reached a small plaza typical for a big city. What she saw there took her breath away and made her heart stop for a few beats.  
It was a battle alright. But a rather spectacular battle. The angels were fighting of the onslaught of demons, which actually seemed start to lessen in numbers. However, they danced through the air like flashes of light, leaving trails behind them almost like shooting stars. They had taken on an ethereal, glowing form, yet Karin somehow could tell who each light was. If the situation was not so dire, she might have actually found that sight… beautiful.  
Unfortunately, when her eyes found Toshiro, she was roughly pulled back into reality.  
The blue-winged angel was fighting against that humanoid demon. Cold wind blew across the plaza as ice flashed through the air. The two opponents were nothing but blurry shapes, one black as night, one glowing light blue. They clashed with terrible force, each blow sending quivers through the air and ground. And neither seemed to get the upper hand.  
„Toshiro!“  
The white-haired angel’s head spun around to her. Even in the distance, she could see his eyes widen.  
„Karin?! What are you doing here?!“  
But before she could answer or anyone could react, the humanoid demon took advantage of the distraction and lept at her with breathtaking speed.  
„Youuu!“, he roared. „That sweet life force! I’ll finally devour it now!“  
Karin’s world narrowed until only the charging monster remained. Her brain hadn’t even time to comprehend what was happening. Already she saw herself getting pierced by deadly claws.  
Except the blow didn’t come.  
Metal clanked. Suddenly, red feathers filled her field of vision.  
„Rangiku!“, Karin blurted out, the relief making her feel light-headed.  
The red-haired angel had blocked the demon’s attack with her sword. Now she turned her head towards Karin, a smile on her lips.  
„Are you alright?“  
„Y-yes… thank you so much.“  
Karin’s heart raced from the shock and the adrenaline coursing through her body. Once more, death had been way too close for comfort.  
„Out of my way, vermin!“, the demon growled and lashed out at Rangiku. In the fraction of a second, the female angel had taken on her ethereal form and dodged the attack, dissolving into an orange-reddish flash. The two of them clashed in a flurry of movement. Karin could just barely make out Rangiku’s shape, and often couldn’t even follow their movements.  
Up in the air, the other angels were still fending off the onslaught of demons. Toshiro hovered on the spot for a few moments, watching his right hand battle the opponent that had been his seconds before. Karin could sense his urge to help. She could relate, because she felt the same. But in the end he turned away and unleashed a wave of ice against the lower demons.  
Karin’s hands itched as she watched the battles. She had told Toshiro that she didn’t intend to fight the monsters. However, in that moment, seeing the angels struggle made her desperately want to fight at their side. If it were humans she’d have to kill, she might have thought twice about it. But these demons, Karin had learned, no longer human. They were monsters that needed exterminaton. Especially if it meant that those tortured souls could find peace.  
However… she knew full well that she was too weak to fight those creatures. And cursed that fact.  
„Karin!“, Toshiro’s voice thundered across the plaza. „Get out of here!“  
The sharp command tore through Karin’s overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. She realised he was right. Here, she couldn’t do a thing. And it certainly wouldn’t help anybody if she got killed. Besides, the angels might get distracted if they had to protect her at the same time as fighting the demons. The black-haired girl was just turning around – when a scream echoed across the plaza.  
In horror, Karin watched a flurry of red feathers tumble to the ground, drawing a red line through the air.  
„Rangiku!“  
Karin barely noticed that Toshiro’s voice joined hers. Before she even realised what was happening, she was already sprinting to the spot where the red-winged angel lay crumpled on the plaza’s hard concrete.  
Unfortunately, the demon had the same target. He luged from high up in the air right at Rangiku. Despair gripped Karin’s heart. She wasn’t going to make it in time. Had Rangiku saved her life only to die now herself? The idea tore Karin appart. Someone dying on her behalf… she could not accept that.  
It happened in an instant.  
The air grew so cold that Karin could see her own breath escape in white clouds. A thin sheet of ice spread across the concrete floor and up the buildings’ walls. Moving even faster than ever before, Toshiro was but a blurr of blueish light as he intercepted the demon.  
His anger was sharp as a blade of ice, a sea of coldly burning fire. It was a quiet rage, but all the more focused and deadlier for its calmness.  
Angel and demon engaged in another assault at each other. While Karin barely could see them at all this time because of their increased speed, she felt the impact of each blow even stronger than before.  
,Toshiro… please hang in there. God, if you hear me… please watch over him.’  
That short prayer to a foreign deity surprised Karin for a moment. But as she thougth about it, seeing how angels and demons were real, it was only natural to believe that the rest was true, too. And who knew… the kami and yokai might prove real one day too. In the end, to her it didn’t matter who or what it was, as long as there was an entity that kept Toshiro safe.  
Her thoughts paused. When actually had Karin begun to feel so strongly about the angel? A few times, he had seemed like a jerk to her. And yet… there was something about him that seemed to draw her towards him. A vague sense that beneath that hard shell of ice beat a good heart. The faint loneliness in his eyes, which made her want to hug it out of him.  
A moan brought her back to the now.  
„Oh no!“  
Karin ran the last steps to Rangiku and fell to her knees beside her. Helplessly, she tried to examine the angel, but all she saw was red blood and red clothes.  
,What can I do?! What can I do?’  
Suddenly, with unexpected strenght, Rangiku closed her blood-soaked hand around Karin’s. And energy burst into life inside the black-haired girl. It was a sensation she had never experienced before, therefor she lacked the words to describe it. But it felt… incredible. Her entire body tingled with energy, and she felt as light as never before in her life. Almost weightless.  
She stared into Rangiku’s eyes. The red-winged angel smiled weakly.  
„I knew there is more in you than just the ability to sense us“, she said in a voice sounding frighteningly frail. „It was faint at first, but one could sense it. We just weren’t sure in what way it was going to manifest.“  
„What… what does this mean, Rangiku?“, Karin asked, shaken by the experience.  
„That there may yet lay powers dormant inside you we could not even have fathomed“, the angel explained. „Of course, there is no way to tell where they stem from. No way to know why a mortal like you has such powers. But for now, I want you to do something.“  
„Whatever you want!“  
This time, Rangiku even gave a faint chuckle. „Hold your hands over me. Close your eyes and focus on that new energy inside you. Imagine it flowing through your entire body like a slow, yet mighty stream. Like the blood that flows through your veins. Then turn all your thoughts towards the purpose of healing.“  
„A-alright…“  
In this series of surreal events, Karin felt even more surreal as she did exactly what Rangiku had told her to do. She stretched out her arms, closed her eyes and pictured the energy starting to flow out of the ball it was compressed to, coursing through her arms and legs and head. Something similar to what she pictured the system of veins and arteries looked like. She began to actually feel it. Warmth filling her from top to bottom. It actually felt as if it were flowing; flowing like water, out of her hands and into Rangiku. Good.  
,Heal. Heal. Heal.’  
She repeated that word a couple of times. Laid all her willpower into it. When she finally opened her eyes tentatively, a soft, reddish glow greeted her. But that wasn’t the most astonishing thing. In front of Karin’s eyes, the terrible wounds began to close. She could actually watch how the flesh mended itself and new, untouched skin closed above it, until nothing remained visible of the injuries.  
When she was finished, Karin let the stream of energy fade. The red glow vanished. Still incredulous, the black-haired girl lifted her hands and stared at them.  
„That… that was… unbelievable.“  
Rangiku sat up and gave her a warm smile. „I knew you could do it. Well done, Karin. You learned quickly.“  
„T-thank you.“  
The angel gave a few flaps with her red wings. „Just a few moments, then I’ll be able to return to fight.“  
As if on silent agreement, the two of them looked up at the raging battle above. It was looking good, Karin guessed. The number of demons now had dwindled considerably, and it looked like the angels might yet turn the tables.  
„You really should go now“, Rangiku said as she finally stood up and put a hand on Karin’s shoulder. „It’s still dangerous here.“  
„Right…“  
The red-winged angel wrapped herself in a coat of energy, gave a powerful flap with her wings and rejoined the battle in the air.  
Karin turned and started running to take cover in one oft he adjacent streets. However, she didn’t get far. There was a scream of pain, and a few meters away from her, one of the angels crashed to the ground.  
The black-haired girl skidded to a halt. Her automatic reaction was to help the angel, even though she knew she should get to safety. Unfortunately, the enemy wasn’t far behind the angel. Several of the demons charged after their prey.  
,No!‘  
Karin stretched out her hand, as if she could keep back the attacking monsters that way. If she just could do something to help! She was so sick of always being the one that got rescued. She did not want to be a hindrance any longer.  
Perhaps… perhaps there was something she could do. Karin closed her eyes and recalled what Rangiku had told her. Tapped into the power inside her, which already was easier than before. She let her thoughts flow, her mind get empty. Instantly, the image of fire appeared in front of her eyes. She could even hear its roar, its whispered promises of powers in her ears.  
The flow of energy grew even stronger. The feeling of power surging through Karin filled her with elation. If she had to describe the sensation, it felt like roaring flames filing her without burning her.  
Exhaling, she released them.  
A building roar filled Karin’s ears, and her eyes flew open. With wonder, she watched a wall of fire blaze to life, forming a protective shield over the angel.  
„W-whoa… this is…“  
There were no words describing how Karin felt right now. How crazy could things get? Angels existed, as well as demons; now, Karin possessed some kind of superpower that let her conjure fire. The strangest thing? Despite all the unbelievable things that had happened in the past two days and which had torn her life appart before piecing it back together again, changing it completely, she was still not freaking out. She would have any right to do so. However… something inside her accepted it all as i fit were as natural as breathing.  
But best of all: She now could fight back against these ugly monsters.  
First things first, though. The angel that had fallen from the sky still needed healing. Conjuring another shield of fire to fend off a second group of attacking demons, Karin ran to the injured warrior. Kneeling next to him, she tapped into her power and let it flow into the angel.  
„Karin! What are you still doing here?! Get to safety!“  
She looked up. The one who had yelled those words had been Rangiku. The red-winged angel was just fending off another handful of demons.  
„Just a sec!“, Karin yelled back. „I’ll heal this guy, then I’ll be gone!“  
Famous last words. The instant she had finished talking, a vile energy flared to life behind her and the humanoid demon’s voice rang in her ears, dripping with evil and devilish glee.  
„Got ya.“  
Karin spun around. But at the same time, she knew that nothing she could do now was going to be fast enough. Even if she conjured the fire again, it would still be too slow. She had not even time to realise the imminence of her death, let alone getting afraid of it.  
,Oh no…‘  
Ice flashed. Once more, feathers in numerous shades of white and blue filled her field of vision.  
„Toshiro!“  
The Cherubim turned his head, his turquoise eyes piercing her.  
„Idiot… couldn’t you just do… as you were… told?“  
And the ice began to turn red.


End file.
